40 years are nothing
Edited by Pablo Leighton and Fernando López, the new book 40 years are nothing: History and memory of the 1973 coups d’etat in Uruguay and Chile (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK),
is a selection from works presented at the October 2013 conference
40 years are nothing. The event attracted researchers from
Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, United States (US) and Australia who presented
on a wide range of topics linked to the anniversary of these events. The range
of topics addressed in the different chapters (and the numerous debates and
conferences held around the world) demonstrate that the 1973 coups continue to
be a key point of interest for researchers and that the study of this topic is
far from exhausted.
Summary
Chapter
One of the book by Fernando López gives an overview of the significant contribution
made by the Uruguayan and Chilean regimes towards the formalisation of what
would become the infamous transnational network of state terrorism known as
Operation Condor. Chapter Two by Pedro Teixeirense explores the way in which
Uruguay has struggled to implement the different mechanisms of Transitional
Justice since the return to democratic rule in 1985. Chapter Three by Debbie
Sharnak evaluates the significant contribution made by the Inter-American Court
of Human Rights’ historic ruling against Uruguay in the Gelman v Uruguay case. Chapter Four by Pablo Leighton examines the
cultural power of the Chilean junta led by Augusto Pinochet (1973–1990) during
its first years, with an emphasis on the mass event of the first anniversary of
the coup d’état, on 11 September 1974, broadcast live on national television. Chapter
Five by Florencia Melgar and Pablo Leighton explores the unrecognised role of
Australia’s intelligence agencies in undermining Salvador Allende’s government and
supporting the more well-known actions of the United States’ Central
Intelligence Agency in Chile. Chapter Six by Nicolás del Valle focuses on the
legacy of the Chilean dictatorship through the memorial sites and practices of
memory. Finally, Chapter Seven by Yael Zaliasnik analyses the different
theatrical elements present in three marches commemorating the dictatorships in
Uruguay and Chile. 40 years are nothing is aimed at a broad audience which includes specialists in Latin American Studies, the political, cultural and economic history of Uruguay and/or Chile, memory, Transitional Justice, state terrorism, and those in the general public with an interest in these topics.
Reviews
“This work brings us new perspectives and
histories of the dictatorships and the ensuing struggles against impunity in
Chile and Uruguay, after the dirty war years, when the transition to civilian
government had begun (1990 in Chile and 1985 in Uruguay). The contributions of
these scholars encompass a number of vital themes: the functioning of Operation
Condor; the history of civilian government resistance to accountability in both
countries; the Pinochet regime’s use of media and spectacle to establish
hegemony (in the Gramscian sense) during the dictatorship; the role of social
movements seeking truth and justice and the original forms of protest they have
created; the inconsistent role of the Australian government vis-à-vis the
Chilean coup; the importance of memory and the ways in which memory continues
to be a contested terrain in the region; and ways to keep remembrance and
memorial sites alive and engaging, without becoming ossified. Each of the authors
gives us fresh approaches, to see and interpret recent history.”
Dr
Patrice J. McSherry
Professor
of Political Science
Director
of Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program
Long
Island University, USA
Journal of Iberian and Latin American
Research
Volume
22, 2016 - Issue 2
[Click here
for access to full book review]
“A book that provokes this reviewer to think
very hard about just one issue—the tension between history and memory—will
undoubtedly lure other readers to consider the many issues not mentioned here.”
James
R. Levy
Senior
Lecturer
University of New South Wales
Ver información
sobre libro en sitio de noticias sobre Latino América Nodal.am, dirigido por periodista
argentino Pedro Brieger.
UNSW BOOK LAUNCH – 02/10/15: AUDIOS
Part 1: Fernando López
Part 2: Pablo Leighton
Part 3: Luis Angosto-Ferrández
Purchase information
The book now can be
bought as hardcover directly from Cambridge Scholars Publishing and from Amazon.